


The Dinner

by AyashiTetsuko132



Series: AyashiTetsuko132's Muggle AU Series - Remus Lupin & Nymphadora Tonks [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Chronic Illness, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 06:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20187802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyashiTetsuko132/pseuds/AyashiTetsuko132
Summary: There are things to prepare before you meet the parents for the first time. But our couple missed out on one of the most important.





	1. Appetizer

“Why do you have a moustache?”

That morning Remus John Lupin was standing half-naked in the bathroom, busy with his shaving routine when the question came up. It was so outrageous he just had to stop and put down his razor.

The school teacher turned towards the bathroom’s door, where a young woman was leaning, eyeing him with curiosity.

“That is a very bold question coming from someone with a purple hair on top of her head,” he pointed out as if he was explaining complex grammatical rules in the classroom.

Giggling, Nymphadora Tonks moved on to hug her man from behind. When she was finally in the bathroom, Lupin noticed that she wore both his T-shirt and boxer shorts; he wondered what other things she was going to claim as hers. 

It had been a month since Tonks moved into 394 Wolfsbane Drive and her presence was getting more prevalent each day. She had her drumset and working desk installed in the house, which was perfectly fine for Lupin. But he had issues with the way she left her things everywhere, and by everywhere he meant everywhere. He would find her Pygmy Puff dolls under his pillow in his side of the bed; one time he also found a pair of striped socks lying around the staircase.

Luckily she was diligent with the house chores and created a surprisingly good tuna sandwich. Her perfume also made the house smelled different, in a pleasant and refreshing way. 

Most importantly, he was deeply in love with her, so the chaos was considered as part of the package.

“Just curious. Saw the picture of your late father, and thought you were inspired by him.” She peeked from behind his back to see her reflection in the bathroom’s mirror. 

“I did look up to him when I was younger,” Lupin muttered, picking up the razor again. 

“Aww.”

“So I thought that’s how an adult was supposed to look like,” he added with a smile. “Love your mutant hair, though.”

Letting go of her man, Tonks then combed her hair with her hand. “But I don’t like this colour. It doesn’t stand out …”

“What part of purple doesn’t …!”

But his words were cut off by the ring of the phone.

Muttering something about it being hers, Tonks ran out of the bathroom, leaving Lupin to finish the routine by himself. He briefly caught her saying “Hello, Mum! How’s your holiday?” amidst the sound of running water.

When he returned to the bedroom, she was lying on her stomach on their bed, busy with the conversation on the phone.

“Well, you know Dad never likes crowded places. It stresses him out.”

As he walked past her, Lupin sneakily pinched the woman’s behind, earning him a kick from his girlfriend. He responded by sticking his tongue out.

“Sorry? Oh, no. It’s just Remus.”

Hearing his name being mentioned, Lupin could not help paying attention, even when he was busy dressing up.

“What? No, it's the other way around. I live in his place now. Gave up the flat.” The woman rolled around the bed. "Just last month. I told you about this!"

When Lupin finished getting ready, Tonks was still convincing her mother that she had informed her about moving in with her man. 

"I'm going. Send her my regards," he whispered, making a move to kiss her.

"Take care! Breakfast is ready." She covered her phone with a hand and allowed him to kiss her forehead. "Hello? Mum? Yes, sorry."

Walking out of the master bedroom, Lupin shook his head at the thought of Tonks having another quarrel with her mother about not informing their new arrangement. 

But his expression grew dark when he realised that they had been together for a year --and had made important milestones such as living together-- but he had not gotten to meet her family.

The couple first met when Lupin's former band The Marauders reunited for an award show --and they had to find someone to replace the position of the band's late drummer James  Potter. Tonks offered herself up for the position; after months of endless flirting and pent-up sexual tension, they finally confessed their true feelings right after the show.

After a year of being together, and spending every weekend having sleepovers at each others' places, the couple began talking about their future. And living together was the first step they take towards it.

But at the realisation that he had never even been introduced to her family, Lupin felt that there was plenty of homework to do in their relationship.

Hell, he thought as he sat for his breakfast. He did not even know what her real hair colour was. Or at least had never seen her in that colour.   
  


\--

_ Just arrived at the clinic  _

_ Ok tk care. Sorry I can't join today :( stupid intern bailed again _

_ It's OK. Just having blood drawn _

_ Oh btw. R u free Thu night? _

_ Depends on what you’ll be wearing ;) Or not  _

_ REMUS _

_ Hahaha. Sorry. What's on Thu night? _

_ My parents invited us to dinner. @home. Think about d time we meet them? _

_ Sure, I'd love to _

\--

  
  


Thursday came within a second, and our couple found themselves standing in front of a well-kept, two-story house in a quiet residential area just outside of London.

A ginger cat slipped between Lupin's feet as he stood with a box of cakes from a popular bakery in his hand, feeling calm and content. He was humming softly as he waited for Tonks to pick up enough courage to ring the bell of her own parents' home.

Pacing up and down, with her hands balled into a fist and ready to punch, the woman never looked so distraught.

"Dora, love. Why so nervous? You grew up in this house."

“Exactly! That's why I'm nervous --I grew up in this house!"

Chuckling softly, Lupin recalled how his girlfriend had briefed him on the things that they are supposed to do to make sure that the night goes on smoothly. 

The goal was to have Tonks's parents to like and accept Lupin as her life partner --if possible, have them start seeing him as part of the family, even though Tonks realised this might be a bit far-fetched. 

Why? Well, for a start, the age difference between her father and her boyfriend --Dad and "Daddy"-- was less than 10 years. That's a start. 

Throughout her explanation, Lupin just nodded along to the instructions, even though he felt that they were totally unnecessary.

Please, the man had been in serious relationships before, even when Tonks was much too young for that. He had met the parents and all of these meetings were successful. Surely he can afford to be optimistic?

Especially when Tonks finally rang the bell and Ted Tonks opened the door to welcome his daughter.

"Dora! My dear child!"

"Dad! I miss you!"

Ted had a moustache that reminded Lupin of the Pringles logo, and the man looked like a stereotypical accountant. 

Lupin could tell right away that Tonks had inherited her warmth and enthusiasm from her father. When they were introduced, the man shook his hand warmly and treated him just like his own friend. 

Ted was genuinely interested in Lupin's job as a secondary school teacher and had even thanked him for supporting his daughter's art and music career. 

They just sat on the sofa in the living room when the man handed Lupin a palm-sized photo frame of a six-year-old girl, dressing up as a pirate. The little girl's hair was messy and mouse-coloured (just like her father's) and she had this ridiculous, toothless grin on her face. 

"Dad! No!"

“You looked lovely.” Lupin nodded at Tonks, who was sitting on the armrest.

“No, no! Okay, that’s it! No more pictures!” The woman protested, pulling the photo away.

“But Remus hasn’t seen your prom photos!” Ted protested.

“Especially not THAT one!”

The father-daughter pair were both rushing towards a shelf filled with photo frames, with Tonks trying to hide any embarrassing childhood photos of herself.

They were being so noisy that even Lupin failed to notice the entrance of a fourth person.

"Five minutes in and a riot has already started," she announced.

All heads turned towards the doorway where a beautiful, patrician woman in floral dress and pearls stood. Her hair colour was lighter than her husband and her daughter's, and there was no sign of grey hair despite her age. 

The way she carried herself gave away an air of independence as if she was telling the world that she makes her own rules.

When she looked at Lupin, the gentleman thought he had forgotten how to breathe. For he recognised those eyes as his girlfriend's; staring back at him as if she was scanning the depth of his soul.

"You must be Remus." 

The way Andromeda Black Tonks shook his hand was firm and brief.

"Very nice to meet you, Mrs Tonks."

"Please, call me Andy."

"Hello, Mum," Tonks muttered, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Remus brought that lemon cake you like so much."

As per her instruction, of course. 

"How very nice. Thank you, Remus," Andromeda said. She then touched her daughter's shoulder lightly. "Put them inside the fridge, dear, we'll have them for dessert."

While Tonks left for the kitchen, Lupin immediately became the centre of Andromeda's attention. "So, Remus. I hope my daughter doesn't give you too much trouble."

"Oh, not at all. She's a joy to have around."

"I see. Do you plan to marry her?"

Whoa. 

That was fast. Even Ted looked as if he was going to explode on his wife. 

But Andromeda remained undeterred. Arching her perfectly crafted eyebrows, she waited patiently for the answer. 

Lupin himself needed to take a deep breath before giving his reply. "We are definitely looking forward to spending our life together."

"I see. Does that life spent inside or outside of marriage?"

" _ Andy _ ."

Lupin smiled. "Preferably inside."

"So when do you two plan to do it?"

"Please forgive my wife, Remus."

"Oh, it's alright. I totally understand." Lupin waved his hands. "Unfortunately, I can't give you an exact date yet, but it is definitely on the horizon."

Andromeda nodded. "Fair enough."

The ginger cat that they met on the porch jumped onto her lap; the woman pulled it into her hug. 

Seconds later, Tonks re-entered the room with a joyful glee on her face, throwing herself to sit right next to Remus. 

"So, what did I miss?"


	2. Main Course

Despite the earlier glitch, Lupin thought the night actually went well for all of them. 

When dinner was served, Andromeda had let go of her restraint and freely talked to them about various things. At some point, she even allowed herself to laugh at Lupin's jokes --carefully chosen to make sure none were dirty or politically charged-- and was interested in stories about his days with the band. 

Once their meals were finished, Andromeda took out a small wooden box filled with cigarettes. 

"Mum, you're still smoking," Tonks pointed out. "I have been clean for eight months straight." 

She flexed her arm muscles as if she was in a competition. 

"Eight months! Come back and tell me if you get to 10 years. I don't think it's even possible," Andromeda scoffed. 

"It's possible! I had been cutting mine down ever since I met Remus."

Andromeda turned towards Lupin. "You don't smoke?"

"Not since at least 20 years ago." He replied with a smile. 

"Twenty!? But how? I can't even last a day without it!"

Lupin shrugged. "I try not to do things my students can go to detention for."

The group laughed. 

Tonks excused herself to go to the kitchen to get the lemon cakes that Lupin had brought for them. 

As soon as she was out of the room, Lupin glanced towards the clock on the wall and learned that it was time for his medicine. He then took out a small plastic box marked with names of the days and popped a pill from the Thursday compartment. 

"What's that, Remus?" Ted asked, leaning himself forward with curiosity.

"Oh, it's the ARV medicine," Lupin replied after he gulped it down with water. "I need to take them every night."

Ted's smile faded. "ARV?"

"Yes, anti-retroviral. They are meant to curb the viral load in the system. It can be quite a hassle, but it's been a blessing …"

"Yes, we know what an ARV is, Remus." Andromeda cut in. "I believe my husband's question was, why are you taking medicine meant for people with HIV and AIDS?"

Her smile had already disappeared.

Lupin himself finally realised what the gentleman meant. However, still failing to grasp the gravity of the situation, he gave away his answer without any second thought.

"Oh, to … to manage the disease, of course."

"Alright, here comes the cakes!" Tonks shouted as she walked back from the kitchen. "I picked the biggest one for you, Dad, but if it's too much, we can share … Oh."

When Tonks arrived at the dinner table, everyone was silent. All eyes were directed towards her; they were all waiting for her to sit down and explain them something. 

They all have different reasons to do it, but all three people were absolutely angry at Tonks. 

\--

An hour later, Lupin and Tonks found themselves sitting inside the car that they had hailed from the Portkey app. 

Despite the driver's attempt to make conversation, the couple was mostly silent, with Lupin staring out of the window, refusing to make eye contact with his girlfriend. 

He would only turn towards her when he could not hold it anymore. 

"You never tell your parents about my condition."

"Remus."

"Thanks, it certainly made a very interesting dinner conversation."

When Lupin accidentally revealed his HIV status to Tonks's parents, the room immediately went silent. The man thought his girlfriend's parents had been made aware of his illness for a long time, so he did not think it would be a problem to talk about it --let alone to take his medicine in front of them. 

What happened instead was, as soon as Tonks came back from the kitchen, her mother dragged her for a private talk in a nearby room. 

Lupin was able to catch snippets of the conversation. The woman thought her daughter had gone mad for "sleeping with a sick man" with an illness that could have "killed both of them." And that, while he might have been a decent person, she should end the relationship and move out of his house ASAP. 

As if he was trying to prevent Lupin from hearing more, Ted asked him to return to the living room with him. 

He remained polite but Lupin could tell that he was holding back plenty of emotion for the rest of the night. 

"I can explain," Tonks hissed as she turned towards him. 

"Explain what? That you're so embarrassed by your HIV positive boyfriend, you need to keep it a secret?"

Lupin's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh … Is this why I only got to meet your parents today, Nymphadora? 'Cause you've been ashamed of me?"

"Don't call me that!" Tonks punched the car seat. "Also, if only you'd hear me out for a second, perhaps you'll thank me instead."

Lupin crossed his arms. "Go ahead."

"Thank you. Now, listen," Tonks pointed at her man. "When I first told Mum about how old you are, she was furious. I had to explain to her that I am not your sugar baby and that you are not using me for sex."

"A promising start."

Tonks pretended to not listen. "And then, there came the questions about salary, about your house … Why you aren't married at 40."

The woman let out an exasperated sigh. "If I told my parents about your HIV status, they would lock me up in the attic to prevent me from seeing you. And look at their reaction tonight! I was right in trying to keep it a secret."

"So it's confirmed. Apart from being too old and dangerous, I am also a source of shame for you."

"You're not listening! I'm trying to enable us to have this relationship! And everything should have been fine until you took the drug in front of them!"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT ASHAMED!"

Tonks went quiet. 

"Because I am not ashamed of my condition! I don't go around flaunting my status, but I'm always honest! Especially to people that mattered to me, like your parents!"

At this point, the driver kept on stealing a glance to his rearview mirror, fearing that their fight might get out of hand. 

Even he could see the glint of years forming on Tonks's eyes. 

"Just think about how we first met … I didn't hide anything from you! 'Cause I want to do it right! So don't you dare blame tonight on me!" Lupin shouted.

He pointed at his girlfriend. "Even if … even if what you've done is right … you could have at least told me."

To the driver's relief, within the next minute, the car stopped in front of 394 Wolfsbane Drive. 

The couple rushed to leave the car; they remained silent as they walked into the house. 

While Tonks stopped by the kitchen to get something to drink, Lupin went up to the master bedroom right away. 

From the staircase, with a cup of tea in hand, Tonks peeked into the second floor and found Lupin walking out of the master bedroom with a pillow and a blanket in hand. 

The man walked into the second bedroom in the house, the one that he used in his teenage days. He did not try to keep it quiet when he slammed the door shut. 

Tonks could also hear him lock the door --something he had never done before. 

She was so angry that she threw her cup of tea to the wall. 


	3. Desserts

In the morning, Tonks woke up feeling as if she had just been hit by a bus: Muscles aching and head dizzy, making it really hard to stand up. As always, she struggled to remember details from her dream, but she felt that it may have involved something equally violent. 

When the woman rolled herself to the other side of the bed, she was surprised to find how spacious it was --and it finally dawned on her why she woke up feeling so terrible. 

She was not being sick. It was the stress from her fight with Lupin last night. 

Of course, there had been fights throughout their relationship. From their argument about the best brand of tea leaves to his anger every time her clumsiness puts herself in danger. But they had never had such a serious problem before, one that lies in the core of their relationship. 

It did look a lot like a deal-breaker.

But haven't they just begun a new chapter in their relationship? With the moving in and talks about adopting children together? But from the look of it, it seemed like Tonks need to start packing up her things and look for a place to stay. She had not talked to her former flatmate in a while; hopefully, her room was still available for rent. Maybe she should take a leave today to check that. 

Hiding underneath the blanket, Tonks let her tears fall.

She was extremely hurt by the prospect of having to end her relationship with Lupin. No kidding, that man was one of the best things that have ever happened in her life. Letting him go means not only the end of their relationship but also life as she dreams it. 

She had always respected Lupin as a musician, from the days when The Marauders' poster was hanging on her bedroom's wall. But once she started working and hanging out with him, she learned to respect him as a person as well, especially knowing all the traumatic events that he had to go through. 

Finally, after all the late-night chats, secret jokes, and accidental hand-holding, she fell in love with him. Hard. More than any man or woman that she had been with before. 

Her love for him was so profound that it was enough to help her withstand all the issues coming their way, from his illness to their age difference. But then this fight happened just as she began fantasising about her wedding dress and a visit to an orphanage to bring their son and daughter home. 

It's not fair. She was deeply hurt. Even more so when she realised that the blanket belongs to Lupin and has a scent that was so distinctively his. 

Once she was done crying, the woman got up and moved downstairs, dragging herself towards the kitchen. 

Her jaw dropped when she noticed that there was already a plate of breakfast being prepared on her side of the table: Eggs, ham, toast. With jars of jam and cutlery placed neatly around them. There was even a tea bag inside her cup; she only needed to pour hot water and add a dash of sugar in it.

When she sat down, she noticed that there was a Post-It stuck near the plate. It said:

_ Off to school. Will get blood test results later - RJL _

Peeling the Post-It off the table, Tonks spent a moment in sitting in silence before moving to get hot water.

\--

That day, Tonks decided against taking leave at work.

She showed up late to her shift at the tattoo parlour, so her day was spent rushing to get her to-do list done in time. Once it was time to go, the woman ran all the way to Mrs Weasley's fish-and-chips shop, just to make sure that she would not be late.

The same pattern repeated there. Standing behind the cashier, Tonks worked diligently on the job that she had been having since university days.

After her graduation, the woman had even gone to work as a graphic designer at a multinational advertising agency. But she experienced a terrible burnout in her second year; so bad it was enough to get her to quit working in corporate forever. So she returned to Mrs Weasley's humble fish-and-chips shop and scored another job at a friend's tattoo parlour. She also did graphic design gigs and play in a band. 

It was crazy and difficult. But Tonks loved how she was never stuck behind a cubicle, doing the same thing over and over again, witnessing abusive practices being seen as normal. So when Lupin once offered to support her financially, the woman said no. She was proud of her ability to create things and make her own money. 

Anyway, talking about her man.

Tonks was able to get him (and their troubles) off her mind for the day until dinner time arrived. The shop was always hectic during the hour, with customers flooding in to dine-in or to grab a take-away. She barely noticed when the bell on the shop's door rang, and another new customer walked in.

The woman only reacted when Ginny squealed "Mr Lupin!" excitedly, forcing her to finally pay attention.

He was half-obscured by the teenage girl, but Tonks could see him standing there, taking off his dark brown coat while talking to her. 

He looked just how she expected to see him every day: Tweed suit, comfortable jumper. With a very stereotypical teacher's leather bag in hand.

When Ginny accompanied him to his table by the window, he was being cheerful and attentive to his student. Even from this distance, Tonks was able to hear their conversation: About the school, about this writing competition Ginny took part in, about the last time he came to the shop (almost a year ago!). 

Ginny eventually noted down his order --the special with one beer-- before moving towards the hole in the wall that separates the kitchen and the dining area.

"He's here for you! Do you need to take a break?" Mrs Weasley asked. The woman divided her time between talking to Tonks at the cashier table and her staff in the kitchen.

"Uh, no. Thanks. It's fine. I'll see him after this," Tonks muttered while swiping a customer's debit card.

Mrs Weasley went quiet. She turned towards Tonks with narrowing eyes. "Are you two fighting?"

"Who's fighting!? You and Mr Lupin?" Without being asked, Fred popped out his head from the kitchen's hole.

"Should we poison him?" George's voice followed suit from inside the kitchen, but Mrs Weasley's glare let the twin know that they should not.

Tonks laughed. "It's okay. I'll handle it."

Mrs Weasley turned back to Tonks. "Go talk to him. Now! I can help. It's not good to let a fight goes on for too long."

Defeated, Tonks smiled weakly as she took off her black apron. "Alright, Mum."

"Good luck!" 

Tonks made a move towards Lupin's table but slowed down when she watched the things that he did as he waited for his food.

First, he took out a red marker and a pile of exam papers, then he put on his glasses to check them all. There are times when he would move his marker quickly and smiled in satisfaction when he put down the final score on the top right side of the paper. But there are times when he would sigh, or shake his head exhaustedly, before making a small note on the paper.

The sight of him doing this in the middle of a crowded fish-and-chips shop seemed rather picturesque for Tonks. It warmed her heart; it was the man that she loved, doing something that he is passionate about. On good days, she would have taken her phone out already, and took this picture of him.

But unfortunately, it was not one of those days.

Lupin himself did not seem surprised to see Tonks walking towards him. He lifted up his head and gave away a thin, weak smile. "Hello."

"I know you'd come here."

"You do?" His smile grew.

"Yes," Tonks answered, playing around with her fingers. "I assume, if you're kicking me out of the house, you're not going to make me breakfast."

"Or am I expecting too much?" She hastily added.

"I couldn't let you starve, no?"

Tonks lifted her head up, pulling up just enough courage to face him. "Thank you."

Lupin did not reply, but he stared at his girlfriend with a weird sense of calmness: Peaceful but also waiting for something. 

"I want to remain civil," he finally said. "I don't think we can work our issues out if we ... uh ... try to kill each other."

"C-Certainly …"

"Are you free to talk?" He pointed at the empty chair across him. "But if you don't, I understand, of course …"

"Let's just go outside," Tonks pointed at the front door. "Don't worry, nobody's going to steal the exams. Leave your things here."

\--

Outside the fish-and-chips shop, the couple stopped next to a street lamp pole to have their conversation. The light of the lamp fell into their faces, radiating warmth through the cold autumn night.

At the fish-and-chips shop's window, at least three teenagers with flaming red hair stuck their face on the glass, trying to catch snippets of the conversation, but the couple did not seem to notice them.

"Uh … how should we do this?" Tonks massaged her own hands nervously.

"Well … first and foremost, I'd like to apologise," Lupin began.

Tonks replied hastily. "What? No. I … I should have done that. Not you."

Her man scratched the back of his neck. "Can I at least explain myself first?"

"Oh … sure."

"Thank you. Well … I did a lot of thinking. When I was alone, in my room. After what happened last night. And I realised that … as disappointed as I was, there’s one thing that I found really strange about last night."

Tonks crossed her arms in front of her body. She started to feel a bit cold.

"The idea that you’re ashamed of me. It didn't make sense. Because if you were, then you wouldn't come to all those checkups at the clinic, where everyone can see you. You're not going to introduce me to your musician friends, who may have heard of my condition," Lupin continued.

"Hell, you wouldn't even want to live with me," he added. "It just didn't make sense."

Warming her hands on her jumper, Tonks chose not to do anything but listen to him in silence. 

"And I came to the conclusion that … you did that, you know, hiding my condition from your parents ... because you were scared," he began again. "Scared of losing this. You know. What we have."

Another moment of silence went by. 

Sighing loudly, Tonks slowly shook her head. "Took you forever."

"I'm sorry."

"But yes, you're … you're right. I was scared," Tonks replied. "I've told you how Mum was. And yes, it's shameful that, at this age, I'm still worried about what she thought, but …"

She took another deep breath. "I've let my fear control me, leading to this stupid decision."

"No, it wasn't stupid …"

"But it was, Remus. It's stupid and rude. Otherwise, you wouldn't be offended."

"Are your hands cold?"

"Eh?"

"Your hands." Lupin gestured for her to give him her hands. 

She was hesitant at first, but then she allowed him to wrap his around hers. The man then rubbed their hands together, trying to keep them warm.

At the fish-and-chips shop's window, there were some excited, hurried movements made by the three redheads, but the couple still did not notice them.

"Thanks," Tonks whispered.

"No problem," Lupin answered. "So I thought … if we were to continue this relationship, then I should try to understand you. First and foremost."

But fear suddenly passed on his face. "Unless … you don't want us to?"

"Oh, no, no!" Tonks shook her head. "Please, no!"

She bowed her head down. "I don't want us to end. I promise, I'm going to talk to my parents ... We'll work things out."

Lupin smiled. "Thank you. I will try to get to know you better. To understand before making any judgement."

"If anything, I should have known how it feels to be scared," he relented.

"Eh?"

It was his turn to bow his head. "Dora … I … I haven't been entirely honest."

At the statement, Lupin felt her hand froze in his. He then tried to hold them tighter, for he sensed fear and panic in those hands.

"Remus?"

"I better show you something," he muttered. Letting go of her hand, the man then searched inside the pocket of his suit and took out a piece of paper. He handed the paper to Tonks.

"It's your regular blood tests." She declared after scanning it.

"Yes. This came out today. Basically, in the past one year, it's revealed that … that the virus has been undetectable. Because I've been diligent with the ARV."

Tonks folded the paper. "That's good news, no?"

"It is. It is good news," he gulped. "But I haven't told you what it means."

Tonks handed the paper back to her man, but suspicion grew on her face.

"When the result is undetectable, it means the viral load in my system is so low that, well, it can't be detected. It doesn't disappear, because we still don't have the cure for this disease, but …," he hesitated. 

Taking another deep breath, Lupin fixed his standing position. "It also means … the number of the virus was so low … that there's a very, very small chance … of me passing them to you."

"Huh?"

Another silence went between them. Lupin closed his eyes while biting his lip as if trying hard to gather his courage. 

After a minute, he could finally begin again. "Dora. I had a long chat with Dr Flitwick today. The thing about knowing your doctor forever is that … they become like a friend. You can talk to them about everything."

"He knows that you're my girlfriend, he knows that we're together and all. So at some point, he asked me about children. You know, whether I intend to have one."

At this point, even Tonks was also holding her breath. "And then?"

"Then … long story short, he told me about his other patient. A man, about my age. His wife had just given birth days ago. And … both the wife and the baby … they're negative."

"What?"

"Yes, and he wasn't the only one. There are other cases."

"..."

"Dora, there are ways." He picked up her hand again. "Ways for us to have a child. Biological child. Without infecting you, or the child, with the disease."

"Are you serious?"

But Tonks did not need his words to know that he was, for it was all in his eyes.

"Yes. I am. And I've known this all along," Lupin answered. "I've known of this possibility. Yet I was so scared, so scared of the risks … that I just didn't want to tell you about it."

Gasping, Tonks turned her head to face the street. For a few seconds, she only stared at it, while occasionally shaking her head.

“I understand if you’re mad at me,” Lupin lamented. “I’ve been an arse. I got mad at you for being scared, yet …”

“Remus, this is wonderful.”

“Eh?”

The woman had turned to face him again. To his surprise, instead of anger, what he saw on her face was a sense of amazement --and joy.

“Honey …” Tonks reached out to touch her man’s face. “Adoption is a great, yes, and I’d still love to do that … But this? We can have our own child?”

“Y-yes. We can. We have to prepare, of course, so you’ll need to see Dr Flitwick as well …”

Tonks looked as if he was going to ask her to a candy store. “Oh my God. Oh my God! That’s great!”

“Wait. You’re not mad at me?”

“Yes, but this is great news! It’s a miracle!” She jumped into his hug. “I’ll forgive you for that!”

“Dora. Wait …” he let her go from his hug. “Does this mean … you want this? You want to do this with me? Having my child?”

“Of course, you silly old man!” She kissed him on the cheek. “Do it! Fuck me! Make me pregnant, right here, right now!”

Laughing for the first time that night, Lupin pulled her into his hug before they share a deep, longing kiss.

Meanwhile, Ginny, who was just about to inform Lupin that his dinner was ready, had to turn back and run at the sight of her teacher making out on the pavement. 

\--

School bell rang, and students ran out of the premises as if they were being chased by a bison. 

Amidst the crowd of teenagers in grey uniformed jumpers, Lupin could be seen walking and humming along, swinging his bag lightly. Usually, he would stay for a few hours until all of the students had left the school, but he had a special appointment at the clinic that encouraged him to leave earlier. He would nod and smile at his students as he goes along, who were forming small groups along the pavement.

As he continued walking, Peeves the homeless man who lived around the school, stopped him to ask if he had brought him something. Nodding politely at the man, Lupin then took out a pack of bubblegum from his pocket. As always, Peeves jumped in delight at its sight and snatched it away from the school teacher's hand.

Lupin smiled at himself at this sight. He once tried to give Peeves money but was being welcomed with profanities instead. Perhaps bubblegum meant something for the homeless man.

After Peeves, Lupin walked passed a punk who was leaning on a wall. The studs on her leather jacket glinted in the afternoon sun, and she was smirking when she laid her eyes on Lupin.

"I'd like some bubblegum as well," she said. 

Lupin completely ignored her, though he felt like he had seen her somewhere before …

Wait.

"Dora?"

He turned and faced the punk, who had everything that resembles his girlfriend --torn jeans, combat boots, flannel shirt on her waist, band T-shirt, leather jacket, piercings all over her ears. But instead of purple, her short hair was mouse-coloured.

"Do you like it?" Tonks asked, touching her hair lightly.

"Y-your hair …!"

"This is the closest it can get to my natural colour," she added. "So yeah … this is the real me, I guess?"

At this point, Lupin already dropped his bag on the ground as he tried to reach towards his girlfriend. "You look amazing! Goodness! I failed to recognise you!"

Laughing, the couple embraced each other before they got engaged in a little kiss. 

"It's like having a new girlfriend, eh?" She mumbled into his ear.

"It is!" Lupin laughed, letting go to see her better. "Hello, stranger."

Still laughing out loud, the couple walked away from the spot with their hands entangled.

Even as he walked down the street, Lupin could not stop staring back at Tonks and her new look. He swung her hand happily before pulling her into his hug.

"So. Ready for your first appointment with Dr Flitwick?" he whispered.

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> It's just a fanfic, of course. But I still feel the need to write responsibly.
> 
> I try to be as accurate as possible in portraying Lupin's struggle (and triumph) with HIV, and to this, I owe Amahl S. Azwar (Twitter: @McMahel). He's an Indonesian writer/journalist and HIV+ person who is currently working on a comic project, with illustrator Aria Gita, about living with the virus. His informative writings and unbeatable spirit are invaluable resources in the creation of this series.
> 
> If you want to know more about how an HIV+ person can conceive naturally, here is a concise explanation of the process: https://www.hiv.va.gov/patient/faqs/conceiving-with-mixed-HIV-status-couple.asp


End file.
